Victory of the Living Blade Dojo
The Victory of the Living Blade Dojo was the newest of the Dragon dojo, and rested on the outlying lands of the Clan just between the borders of the Dragon and the Dragonfly Clan, Way of the Samurai, p. 34 in the Shinpi province. Secrets of the Dragon, p. 96 Founding The building itself was completed during the War of Spirits, and Togashi Hoshi himself commanded that work should proceede even though the Dragon were at war. The final rituals to bless the building and complete the work were done merely days before the announcement that the war was over in 1150. The naming of the dojo was an obvious reference to the war, but it also reflected on the philosophy of Mirumotoand his decendants. Traditions Dynamic learning and thinking held high regard with those at this school, and therefore the doors were alway open for those who wished to exchange knowledge. The Mirumoto here never expected bushi from other clans to reveal secrets of a different style, but simply to exchange ideas on how swordplay should be executed and practiced. When a student felt he was prepared to come of age he was expected to perform a simple task, invent a new kata and defeat every first year member of his practice group (usually somewhere between twenty to twenty five students in a group). This way, students learnt humility from a young age, and then displayed superiority over their past as they age. Training Anyone who had spent at least a year at the dojo were treated as sensei by anyone with a shorter tenure there. Classes were held much less frequently then at other schools, and the teachings here mainly focused on each student finding their own path. For this purpose they had a giant library within the walls of the dojo, where many students could be found searching for wisdoms to apply to their own way of life. Naturally many of the scrolls in the dojo were concerned with warfare and swordplay. Visitor's Blades Any visitor at the dojo from another clan was asked when using the library to leave a scroll on a rack at the fore of the library when they were finished at the dojo. This rack was known as the Visitor's Blades, and contained information about what each of those students had learnt from the research. More often than not there was nothing particularily insightful written, but due to the sheer amount of visitors there was the occasional one with some clever or cunning thought. The Sword To the students at the dojo the love for their sword was just a notch below the love for their lord, and it was said of the married swordmaster of the dojo that "the woman who maintains his home, (is) his mistress; but the true bride is in his obi". To them, the sword was life- not three feet of death- and they tended to find joy in the contest of steel. Dojo Benefits As one of the more progressive and innovative dojo in Rokugan the students were regarded as open-minded, scholarly and non-conformist, and depending on the situation this could be both a curse and a blessing. The Students honored their dojo by wearing a Mirumoto family mon with the swords removed, because to a true master of the blade the swords were only a representation of true power. Way of the Samurai, p. 35 Sensei As a very recent school there had been few to hold the position as grandmaster sensei. The very first training school of the Swordmasters was held at the Iron Mountain Dojo under the watchful eye of Kitsuki Meda who had studied the Niten style, and was hailed as a genius by the Mirumoto family. After his death during the War Against Shadow the talented Mirumoto Uso was appointed after Togashi Hoshi became Dragon Clan Champion. It was Uso who petitioned Hoshi for the construction of the dojo, and when Uso became the Mirumoto Daimyo the position was passed on to Mirumoto Akohime. No true precedent had been set with the choosing of the next sensei, and Akohime was silent on the matter. Notable Sensei Notable Students * Mirumoto Hojatsu * Mirumoto Tsuge External Links * Living Blade Dojo (Web of Lies) Category:Dragon Clan Dojo Category:Articles with Pictures Category:Shinpi province